IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE WHEN.....

Yes that's the title, and I shall continue the sentence.

it makes a difference when you have had the chance to acclimatise and travel around in your own country, do and see the things you've always wanted to do but never had the time for. Not plunged straight into being an Oma.
After that incidence, a few days later, I went on my planned 10 day rail trip through the Netherlands.
I started out by going to Zwolle.

There, a friend I have met online through Facebook group called" as seen through horses ears", met me at the station. She had stayed with me in April for 10 days. Now it was my turn( not that we had planned it this way) but it turned out like this.

She drove me to her place and that town is called Kampen. She lives in the old part of town. There are a lot of churches there. She took me around the old town that day and the next day we went to visit the quaint town( like the Venice of Holland) of Giethoorn.
Giethoorn's name originated from Geiten hoorns because when they founded the town they found lots of goat horns in the swamp( like skulls and horns from goats, they has been trapped in the swamp, in the peat that was in the swamp.
So henceforth they called it Goathorn town, later changed to Giethoorn.

We did a guided boat tour, instead of doing our own boat, since we wanted to learn about everything.

The weather was good, still a bit cold. The next day we went shopping in Zwolle and went to the market, that was great. Also saw a big old church that has been changed into a book shop and cafe. A bit weird but done with style. Market had great stalls and of course, the stroopfales and the musical organ.

The next day we went to her horse Dainty and I had a ride on her though the forest nearby and she also . He horse is trained by her just like John Fairbrother, super sensitive on pressure and release. Which is good, you can ride with long reins. Only slight pressure to make her slow or stop.

After that we went to visit a member of our church,  Stephen Bruining. He is on staff in Heidebeek, YWAM.  But he was staying in the accommodation part, called" Licht in Duuster", or " Light in Darkness".

We used to stay here as a family, all 6 of us. In 1997, also doing a YWAM course and doing a practical relief and development work in Morocco. It was the first time I was back again since that time.

After my time in Kampen,

I took the train to Utrecht, and then the stop train to Houten-Castellum. That is where Gert-Jan picked me up from. GertJan was my sister's first husband, and I always got on with him. It was tragic that she wanted to divorce him in 1984 for no real good reason.
I always thought GertJan was a good honest decent man.
So after a gap of 15 years and through the internet I managed to find him and contact him.
2 years ago my husband and I visited him and his wife and daughter. We had dinner there.
This time I could stay 3 nights, and I got to borrow a bike and biked to the dike and then took the little car ferry to the other side of the river " Lek" to a cute town called" Culemborg"

. I spend quite a bit of time there exploring and riding my bike. So GertJan lived on this side of the river Lek and  Culemborg was on the other side and I could take the ferry to go to Culemborg. So I did that each day. I also visited a museum about the orphanage. was very interesting. GertJan and I also rode the bike for 2 hours on his side of the river, following all sorts of trails.

One afternoon GertJan brought me to Tineke and husband Arie, my girlfriend for 54 years. They live in Leerbroek, near Leerdam.( 19 km from GertJan.) I met her at kindy and she was also living next door to me in Voorschoten. I had not seen her since 1997 when she came to visit us in Heidebeek. That was 22 years ago. So it was a long time. This time I could see her house, her farm and 2 of their kids. They have 6 kids, and 3 grandsons. They run a rabbit farm( breeding for meat, export to Belgium. ) I can't say I'm excited about that but it is their business and they also need to make a living. 

They took me to the pancake house and we had a nice pancake that looked more like a pizza.
After a succesful reunion with Tineke and meeting her family, they took me to the ferry and from there I crossed by ferry and then GertJan picked me up.

GertJan's place is great, he has a little lifestyle block with a 6 bedroom house, 3 bathrooms, a private library, a special bakery room and a huge laundry, 1 huge office and an other big office and big lounge and big dining/kitchen. They have glasshouse for vegges, they have fruit trees and a veggie garden, a ram( big ram) and some sheep. View over the dyke and the river Lek and in distance Culemborg.

So after spending 3 lovely days here I had to go on the train to Leiden and Voorschoten. But before I got to Voorschoten, I stopped in Utrecht to meet a lovely girl who worked on our farm in 2014. Mieke. She and 2 other Dutch girls worked through Workaway on the farm. I met up with Marly 2 years ago and now with Mieke.

We sat by the canals and enjoyed some lunch and had a catch up chat.
After that we went back to the train station and she saw me going in the right direction.

When the train stopped in Voorschoten, I had to slowly get used to what I was seeing. A whole new look around the train station. There was a tunnel now underneath the train station. I had to walk for about 1 km and I had to turn on google maps to find the way.  THIS IS MY OLD VILLAGE!!!

Nothing stays the same. I found my Airbnb after a 1 km walk with my backpack and it was a nice, modern apartment neat the centre of the town. I had rang my ex neighbour Annie to say I am here in Voorschoten. The next day I went over to her house, my old neighbourhood. That was weird seeing my street name and I saw the streets all had been repaved and renewed. About time it was done.

Long story short, I had a great time with Annie, biked with her to the lake and swam in it several times, so hot weather. Out for dinner by the lake.

  The next day I went to the Friday market. Traditional stroopwafels were there too, being made. I filmed the church bells being played.
Quite a nostalgic trip. I also went to the old stables where I used to ride. The son of the owner was there, and it was nice to have a good chat to him about the days when I used to ride there.

Then I also caught up with the neighbour of Annie, whom I met 10 years ago, Marianne, and it so happen that she could take me to Scheveningen. So that saved me a trip by train. Was good to hear her stories.

At Scheveningen, I stayed in a very big mansion, old and creepy. I had the basement to myself, but it had a creepy wooden African idol in it( in the bathroom .

) upstairs, I had seen very creepy African and other type of masks. I prayed for God's protection over me and I was protected.

I went to visit the pier and got into the Ferris Wheel,

that was great. Got to visit my Aunty Rietje , who is 99 years. It was fantastic and she remembered me well. She will be 100 years on December 21st. ( this year) Let's pray she makes it.

The rest of my stay was ok but it was very busy in Scheveningen and I was glad to go out of the spooky house. I am back in Eindhoven now this week.

Here is the link to this 10 day trip photos. I hope it works.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/GGsEL5raXptvhF9E8